‘Former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba, has strongly defended the federation against criticism surrounding plans to feature Nigeria’s top athletes at the upcoming African Championships.
Reacting to concerns raised by some observers, Ogba insisted that many critics do not fully understand how the athletics ranking and qualification points system works.
“They don’t understand the system,” he said.
According to the former AFN boss, athletes are free to compete in whichever events they choose as part of their preparations and ranking objectives.
“Athletes can run where they want,” he implied.
Ogba described the criticism directed at the federation as unnecessary and unfair.
“The attacks are baseless,” he noted.
He argued that the AFN would still face backlash if top stars were omitted from the championships, making the criticism contradictory.
“If they are dropped, people will still complain,” he added.
For Ogba, decisions regarding competition schedules should be guided by technical understanding rather than public sentiment.
“These things require proper knowledge,” he stressed.
The debate intensified after concerns were raised about whether athletes like Tobi Amusan should focus more on global competitions instead of continental events.
However, Ogba remains firm that participation at the African Championships should not automatically be viewed negatively.
“There is nothing wrong with competing,” he said.
As Nigeria prepares for another busy athletics season, balancing athlete workload and competitive priorities will continue to generate discussion.
For Ogba, the message is clear.
Understand the system.
Respect athletes’ choices.
And stop unnecessary criticism.
Because in elite athletics, competition planning is more complex than many people realize.
